Adolescents' Suicidal Thought and Behaviors, Mental Health, and Access to School Counselors

• In Event: Expanding Who Counts as a Policy Actor in Supporting the Whole Child

Abstract

Lacking mental health care is detrimental for adolescents experiencing mental health difficulties, which may lead to negative consequences, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). School counselors may play critical roles in providing this care to youth who might otherwise lack access to it, but extant literature on counselors rarely accentuates their effects on mental health outcomes. This study examines the allocation of school counselors in Georgia and whether access to them moderates the associations between adolescents’ mental health difficulties and propensities to experience STBs. We find that access to counselors has improved with time in the state, particularly for minoritized and low-income students, though student-to-counselor ratios remain inadequate. Counselors also weaken the strong positive association between mental health and STBs.

Authors

• Jerome Graham, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Yi-Chih Chiang, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author